The Card
by Skate-815
Summary: Someone sent Suzie a Val's day card, but who could it be? ZainSuzie, NeilSuzie and just a little SamPhil please R&R. One shot.


**Cards**

**It's nearly February, so it's nearly St. Valentine's Day. In the spirit of the thing, here's one set on Val's Day back when Suzie was still with us. **

**Some SP at the end, but mostly revolving around Suzie.**

**I've never written a fic with Suzie in it before, so tell me how I do :D**

DC Suzie Sim always believed herself to be a loner at heart. She didn't see her family very often, thank God; most of her colleagues were acquaintances at best (even Gary Best had found reason to hate her) and since her work took up the majority of her time, she didn't have time to meet up with old friends like she'd like to.

Tomorrow was St. Valentine's Day. Not that it mattered to Suzie. It was just another day in the year to her, holding even less worth than Christmas and her Birthday, both of which she only celebrated when her family made her. She hadn't received a Valentine's Day card in years, and she didn't care. She never saw the point in all of this anonymous card and gift sending anyway. If you didn't tell them who it was from, how were you supposed to receive any gratitude? This whole day was just a way for retailers to make their money.

Nevertheless, she decided to give herself a treat and to go home at the right time that night. As she lifted her coat and car keys and left the office, a man moved from the water cooler where he'd been standing, waiting for her to leave. He looked around, and satisfied no one was watching, he dropped the card in the red envelope onto her desk, and went back to his work. It would be a late night for him. Somehow, he'd managed to get behind in his report for Jack. Again. No matter. The thoughts of how a certain police officer would react when she opened her card tomorrow would keep him struggling through the report.

* * *

Suzie was running late the next morning and she was hoping that Neil hadn't noticed yet. Just because she didn't have plans didn't mean she wanted to stay behind after work to make up for lost time. Her heart sank, as she saw him, standing alone by the door to CID, focused on a paper in his hand. 

"You're late" he commented, eyes glued to the paper

"Yeah, sorry. The traffic was terrible and…"

"Forget it, it's not like you're Phil and you do this every other day. I need you to work with Terry on an assault"

"Sure Guv" she was relieved he hadn't forced her to stay behind today, and watch all the other members of CID drift off one by one to their dates.

"And I need you to..." he trailed off and pointed to her desk, "What's that?" Suzie turned and noticed the red envelope for the first time. That couldn't have been there yesterday, could it?

"I don't know" judging from Neil's sharp tone of voice, it wasn't from him. But who else could it be? She and Neil had a history together. They'd even kissed a while ago, but she didn't think he still had those feelings. She quickly glanced around the office, but no one seemed to be looking at her. She tore the envelope open, and a card fell from it, sickeningly pink and heart covered. All it said on the inside was "Happy Valentine's Day Suzie"

She propped it up on her desk, and looked around the room more carefully. Terry and Mickey were both staring blankly at their computers, occasionally venturing to press a key, while the only other member of the room, Phil Hunter, obviously had his sights set elsewhere.

"Who's it from?" Neil asked impatiently

"It doesn't say." Just then, Zain arrived, he too obviously hoping to make a quiet entrance, but Neil spotted him immediately

"DC Nadir! Do you know what time it is?"

"My alarm didn't go off"

"That's no excuse. Get to your desk" Zain looked like he was about to snap back, but thought better of it, simply nodding silently and sitting down in his seat

* * *

A few hours later, she was sitting in a deserted CID typing up a report, everyone else having gone to lunch. 

"You alright?" Zain said appearing from the DI's office behind her

"Yeah." she barely glanced at him as he stood behind her. She needed to get this report done early if she wanted to get home in time. To her slight annoyance, he pulled his chair up beside her and sat down.

"What was Neil saying to you?" she turned away from the computer, her curiosity overtaking her compulsion to work

"Complaining. As usual."

"Cos you were late?"

"No, something else" she waited for him to elaborate, but when he didn't, she turned back to her computer

"I didn't do what he thinks I did though" he spoke suddenly

"What does he think you did?"

"Doesn't matter. What's this?" he lifted the card from her desk

"It's nothing" she tried to take it back, but he held it at arm's length, scanning it,

"Looks like you've got a secret admirer." he said as he handed it back, their hands brushing as she took it. They fell into silence, as Suzie resumed her report and Zain stared at the DI's office, thoughtfully

"Have you eaten yet?" Suzie was thrown by his sudden question,

"Not yet"

"Come on then. If I go out by myself, he'll call me back and start complaining about lunch next. He won't say anything if you're with me."

"What makes you think that?"

"Cos you're the DI's pet." From anyone else, she would have protested, but she knew Zain didn't really mean to offend her, so she smiled, and shrugged in acceptance. She stood up, walking alongside him towards the exit of CID, when suddenly a thought struck her. Zain couldn't see this as a date, could he? She risked a glance at him, and saw no trace of emotion on his face, staring ahead blankly as he took large strides. He reached the door first, and held it open for her to walk through, just as he did for every other girl in the building, but today, the smallest kind act from him seemed to make her heart race.

"Suzie" Neil's cool voice rang through the silence of CID, and both of the young DCs turned to him

"Yeah?" she asked

"Can I talk to you about that case now?"

"Zain and I were just about to go to lunch, Guv"

"Lunch can wait"

"And so could the case" Zain said sharply from behind her. Suzie glanced at him, unsure what he was expecting her to do? Disobey her boss, just so he could sneak off for lunch?

"Coming Guv" she said quickly, glancing apologetically at Zain

"See you later" Zain said, turning away and walking swiftly to the canteen, sounding disappointed in her. She tried to ignore the confusing frustration she felt in herself for obeying Neil, for acting like the DI's pet everyone thought she was.

* * *

"I think he got the message then" Neil said as soon as she closed the door behind herself 

"The message?"

"That you aren't interested in him…"

"He thinks I'm interested in him?" she couldn't hide the surprise she felt

"Course he does. DC Nadir probably thinks the same of half the population of Sunhill. That's how arrogant he is."

"Why would he care about me then?"

"Why wouldn't he? Anyway, he made it blatantly obvious by sending you that card"

"Zain sent the card?"

"Yeah, who else would it be?" Suzie said nothing, an internal battle raging between the pity over the mystery card sender not being Neil, and the pleasing surprise that Zain thought of her like that

"You don't need to worry about letting him down gently. I told him you wouldn't be interested"

"What did he say?"

"To be honest, I wasn't paying that much attention. Something about how he'd do whatever he liked. Sometimes, I think his sole purpose in life is to rebel." Suzie nodded numbly, lost in thought over this new possibility

"So what are you doing after work?" Neil asked, "We could get something to eat if you like…"

"What?"

"I was thinking, about you and me… we would make a good couple, don't you think?"

"We probably would" she agreed. She and Neil were very alike, and they were very close. Plus, she remembered the wave of disappointment she'd experienced only moments before when she realised he hadn't sent her that card. However, now that he was offering up the possibility of a date, on St. Valentine's Day, she couldn't drag her thoughts away from a certain rebellious DC.

"Can I think about it?"

"Sure" he sounded disappointed, but there was nothing she could do about that. She needed time to think.

* * *

She sat down next to Zain as he ate alone in the canteen. He glanced up, surprised 

"I thought you and the DI would have taken longer in your talk about 'the case'"

"He asked me out" she said bluntly. Zain dropped his sandwich onto the plate, his dark brown eyes fixed firmly on her.

"What did you say?"

"I said I'd think about it"

"What's there to think about? You've always had a thing for him, haven't you?" she wanted to argue, before realising there wasn't a person in the entire nick who would believe her if she did

"Sort of. But it's complicated"

"Because you work together?"

"No, because I know who sent that card"

"Who was it?" he seemed genuinely curious.

"Well Neil seems to think it was you"

"Well, 'Neil's' wrong" he said bluntly, "If all that's stopping you is that you're afraid of hurting whoever sent the thing's feelings, go for it"

"It's not just that. I think I'm starting to have feelings for someone else"

"And does this 'someone else' work here?"

"Yeah"

"They in this canteen?" Suzie did a quick scan of the room to make sure there were enough people here to stop him making the assumption it was him. She didn't need that kind of humiliation

"Yeah"

"Well unless it's Reg, you should go for the other guy. Neil's a jackass. You can do way better"

"Thanks" she smiled warmly, rising, "I'll keep that in mind"

"You going to take my advice?"

"I don't know yet"

"Well if it helps, he won't turn you down." Zain said also standing and rounding the table to stand beside her

"How do you know?"

"Because he'd have to be mad" he moved nearer to her until there were mere inches between their bodies, "Now admit it. This mystery guy… It's me, right?"

"Only if you admit you sent that card"

"I didn't" he said seriously, "I have no idea who sent that"

"Oh" she felt another wave of disappointment, more powerful than the last one she'd felt over Neil,

"But I would have" he said hastily, "If I'd thought you'd be interested"

* * *

Sam stood by the coffee machine with her back to the tables in the canteen, pretending not to listen in on Zain and Suzie's conversation. After a moment of silence, she risked a glance, and saw them kissing softly by the table 

"Isn't young love great" Phil said from behind her, making her jump

"You nearly made me spill coffee on my new shoes" she reprimanded him

"It would serve you right for spying."

"I wasn't spying… I was observing"

"Sure"

"So do you have any idea who sent that card then?"

"I sent it" Phil said simply, "I didn't think she would be getting any other offers, to be honest, and I wanted her to have something."

"That's really sweet" Sam admitted, "Does that mean my card was a sympathy one too?"

"Course not. Yours was a proper one"

"Good"

"Well I'm going home now. Any chance you've reconsidered my offer about dinner?"

"Nope" she succeeded in hiding her smile from him

"I didn't think so. See you tomorrow, Sam" he smiled

"See ya" she replied, allowing her smile to break through as the double doors swung shut behind him.

* * *

**I just noticed asI was reading through this, either Zain takes very long lunches, or Phil's decided he's going home at lunchtime. Oh well, Phil always was lazy**

**Reviews are great.**


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